Run, fly, dash, scoot or ambulate yourself in some fashion as quick as you can to Arthur Silber's site, to read his masterful analysis of the rioting in England. There is much I would like to say what's going on here in my present stomping ground, but unavoidable circumstances prevent me from getting into it properly at the moment.

Fortunately, Silber is, as always, on the case, tying his own penetrating view (including the riots' larger significance) to an excellent piece by Hal Austin in Counterpunch. Again, I don't have time to do justice to Silber's post here; you'll have to go there right away and read the whole thing.

Many out there on the right, left and middle are wailing wildly of barbarians at the gate and the end of human civilization as we know it -- because of a few riots in a few parts of a few towns over a few days? Don't these wailers know anything at all about human history? I think we might have seen a few things more "nihilistic" than this over the years -- or even right now. How about the massive, endless, unending assault on the very idea of our common humanity being carried out, every single day, by the most powerful, most prosperous, most respectable, most "civilized" elites on the planet, with their savage Terror Wars and the "austerity" bombs of their Shock-Doctrine class wars? I mean, Jesus Herbert Walker Christ -- can a million dead Iraqis possibly compare to a handful of people grabbing some sneakers from a shop? Where is the true threat to our sense of humanity?

Anyway, ignore the wailers, and check out Silber and Austin for a broader, deeper, truer picture of these tumultuous events.